(Bloomberg) -- California Governor Gavin Newsom said PG&E Corp. is heeding his call and will compensate customers for an unprecedented string of deliberate mass blackouts.
PG&E will begin the process of issuing credits to customers affected by power shutoffs the company has carried out this month to keep its electrical equipment from igniting wildfires during wind storms, Newsom said in a media briefing in Los Angeles.
“This is significant because utilities in the past have never credited customers for these disruptions,” Newsom said. “We called for rebates, and the CEO just communicated with our staff that they are going to support some credits.”
Issuing reimbursements was a move that, less than two weeks ago, PG&E seemed averse to making. PG&E utility chief Andrew Vesey told regulators at a meeting on Oct. 12 that it hadn't promised to reimburse anyone and didn't intend to do so at the time. PG&E CEO Bill Johnson had said the company was considering it but was concerned that it would set a dangerous precedent.
--With assistance from Mark Chediak.
To contact the reporter on this story: Michael B. Marois in Sacramento at mmarois@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Lynn Doan at ldoan6@bloomberg.net, Steven Frank
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